Petkovic: Brutal arrests of the Serbs on the orders of Kurti; he wants to ethnically cleanse Kosovo and Metohija

The Director of the Office for Kosovo and Metohija, Petar Petkovic, said that today's brutal arrests and kidnappings of the Serbs both north and south of the Ibar by members of the Kosovo Police had been carried out solely on the order of Albin Kurti, who wanted to expel the Serbs from Kosovo and Metohija.

"This is an example of ethnic cleansing of Kosovo and Metohija because everything that Albin Kurti has been doing in recent years aims to expel the Serbs from their centuries-old hearths. It is a continuation of ethnic cleansing. Kurti is the one who wants to cause a war and despite all the pressure from the international community he clearly has the support of someone, above all those who talk about two sides, even though Kurti is solely to blame," Petkovic said.

Kurti, Petkovic stated, continued with his violent behavior.

"You know very well that in the last two months, the Serbs have literally done nothing wrong. They didn't attack anyone, they live their lives as they know how. Why these arrests? Why do we have this behavior of Albin Kurti? How do the Serbs in Priluzje, Kosovska Mitrovica, and Zvecan feel when they see a huge number of Kosovo Police formations arresting innocent people, pensioners with long guns... Those from the West should tell us if they can restrain Kurti so that we know where we are," Petkovic said.

He stated that with today's arrest of three Serbs in Kosovo, Kurti had started the realization of his threat made in Brussels - that the Serbs would suffer and pay.

"Today's brutal arrests of three Serbs, by the ROSU police, are a continuation of Albin Kurti's ethnic cleansing policy towards the Serbs from Kosovo and Metohija. Obviously, he started to implement the threat he made in Brussels that the Serbs would suffer and pay," Petkovic said at the press conference.

He reminded that today the police brutally arrested Ilija Elezovic in North Mitrovica, an elderly man and a good host who is a serious oncology patient, and took him in the direction of Pristina. Then in Zvecan, blocking the whole place, Dragan Milovic also, the father of three children. A third Serb was arrested today, 73-year-old Zoran Kostic, uncle of the President of the Provisional Authority of the Municipality of Vucitrn. All of them, Petkovic stated, had been literally kidnapped.

"Workers from the Electricity Distribution Company from Pristina also participated in the abduction and arrest of Kostic. They called me, he opened the door for them allegedly to check the meter. And at that moment when he got out, a jeep with civilian plates came and three policemen literally chased him and took him in the direction of Pristina," Petkovic said.

He added that the action of the Kosovo Police was ongoing in Kajkovo, where police officers were still present in large numbers.

"Probably with the intention of arresting someone there as well," Petkovic stated.

He asked why all this was happening after the last round of dialogue in Brussels and whether the international community could stop Albin Kurti.

"Someone is giving him permission to bully the Serbs, and who that is, will soon be known," Petkovic said.

We will ask for an urgent session of the Security Council on the situation in Kosovo

He said that Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic would also speak about all these things at the UN General Assembly in New York. He pointed out that he had spoken with him by phone and that he had told him that he would hold more meetings about all the incidents in Kosovo, as he had talked with all the relevant international representatives so far.

"We received an order from President Aleksandar Vucic to start with all preparations and procedures for convening an emergency session of the UN Security Council on the situation in Kosovo and Metohija and the intention of Albin Kurti to ethnically cleanse the area of Kosovo and Metohija where the Serbs live on their centuries-old hearths," Petkovic said.

Shameful and unacceptable threats of Svecla

Regarding the message of the Minister of Internal Affairs of Kosovo, Xhelal Svecla, that President Vucic would be arrested if he came to Kosovo without the announcement and permission of the Pristina institutions, Petkovic said that such threats were shameful and unacceptable.

"It is shameful and unacceptable that you threaten someone who is conducting a high-level dialogue, in which we should agree on normalization, with arrest, and just a few months before that, you threaten to arrest his son in Kosovo," Perkovic said.

According to the agreement, he says, Serbian officials do not even need Kurti's permission to enter Kosovo, but only an announcement is sent.

But, he pointed out, Pristina was abusing that, as well as everything else from the agreement.

"Instead of just providing an escort, they prevent visits. They also banned me from coming to Kosovo on several occasions, without giving a reason. They just say - it is forbidden to enter the territory of Kosovo," Petkovic said.

When asked what the Serbs could expect in Kosovo, that is, from whom they could expect protection, Petkovic emphasized that this was the right moment when representatives of the international community should declare whether they could stop Albin Kurti.

High time for Kurti to stop

"Whether KFOR, EULEX, or anyone else can do it, in any way to stop the persecution of the Serbs in Kosovo and Metohija. You have a high-level dialogue, two statements by Josep Borrell that were issued on behalf of the 27 EU member states, where Kurti is specifically called to stop harassing the Serbs and move in the direction of de-escalation. And now we only have a worse situation," Petkovic said.

He stressed that the fight for the Serbs should continue no matter what.

Commenting on the illegal expropriation that is taking place in the municipality of Leposavic, Petkovic says that all necessary letters and evidence have been sent to international representatives.

"We talk to everyone, not only when it comes to that issue, but also when it comes to the attempt to revoke the license of Mts, to evict the Serbs from the building in Bosniak Mahala where the Serbian institutions are, and when it comes to stopping Serbian goods. These are all the things we presented to the international community in addition to all these arrests," Petkovic said.

He concluded that Albin Kurti was causing unrest and crisis with the aim of provoking war.

"We always call for peace, we are a party that shows that it is committed to dialogue and compromise solutions. We will do everything to stop Albin Kurti in a political and diplomatic sense. We have to preserve the peace," he emphasized.